Former Disinformation Governance Czar Nina Jankowicz Sues Fox News for Defamation


May 12, 2023 | Sundance 

Whether you believe Fox News intentionally created this opening, or whether it was just a disastrous mistake on behalf of a multi-billion corporation with a full suite of lawyers they chose not to use, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp created a problem in the Dominion settlement that is only going to get worse.

Once you expose yourself to the vulnerabilities of Lawfare, the leftists will pour through the opening like Central American aliens in Texas.  Funded by allies in the cultural and political battle, former DHS Disinformation Czar Nina Jankowicz is now suing Fox News for defamation of her character and reputational harm.

NEW YORK – The head of the short-lived Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disinformation board has launched a defamation suit against Fox News, alleging the network published false reports about her that endangered her life.

Nina Jankowicz was tapped to lead DHS’s Disinformation Governance Board, and though the board never held a meeting, it was heavily criticized by the GOP and was regularly covered by Fox News.

The purpose of the board was to coordinate disinformation efforts at DHS across topics ranging from migration to addressing plots from Russia and Iran.

The Republican National Committee dubbed it the “Ministry of Truth” in a nod to George Orwell’s novel “1984” and couched disinformation as “any speech we don’t like.”

Fox News mentioned Jankowicz and her role leading the board more than 300 times in its resulting coverage, with hosts and commentators asserting she planned to censor speech with nicknames like “disinfo overlord,” “disinformation czaress,” and “minister of truth.” 

[…] Jankowicz’s suit alleges the outlet appeared to personally target her given that the coverage extended well past her resignation.

“Fox’s defamatory coverage has caused Jankowicz and her family immense suffering. Jankowicz has been doxed, threatened, harassed relentlessly, and even cyberstalked,” the suit says.

“Fox enfolded these lies in ugly language that could have no other purpose than to denigrate Jankowicz’s character and professional reputation, particularly since they continued long after Jankowicz’s resignation from government.”  (read more)

Personally, I believe the bigger picture behind all this we will find the successful DEI approach by activists toward all advertisers.  Fox News had the #1 viewer rating, but struggled with advertisers due to the boycotts, activists and controversies that enmesh the political battle space.  Essentially, demonetization by activism.

What we are witnessing at Fox News is what we might call a self-fulfilling prophecy; when the people in charge of the institution do not align with the content or product the institution is creating.  The result is a corporate flippant and cavalier approach toward the collapse of the enterprise.  The Lawfare operatives are moving in to clean the bones of the carcass.

Anheuser-Busch Tells Beer Distributors Not to Worry, This Too Shall Pass


May 12, 2023 | Sundance 

Last week it was reported that Anheuser-Busch CEO Michel Doukeris told investors during a conference call that Budweiser product sales drops in the U.S. and North America were no big deal when contrast against the global sales of the brand“The Bud Light volume decline in the US over the first three weeks of April, as publicly reported, would represent around 1% of our overall global volumes for that period,” Doukeris said on the call. He focused attention on the company’s global reach, saying that Bud Light is just one beer within its portfolio and it’s not changing the company’s full-year outlook. {link}

Apparently, USA beer drinkers, specifically those who do not want to be identified as transgender men, are an insignificant bunch amid the world of beer drinking consumers.  However, Doukeris might start paying a little more attention as the decline in total A-B products in North America is starting to become more significant. {Source}

It’s interesting that Coors Light and Miller Lite have sales increases surpassing the sales decline of Bud Light.   This would seem to indicate hard brand switches, but Anheuser-Busch in North America held the corporate line and yesterday {source} told their distributors not to worry.

ST. LOUIS – Anheuser-Busch’s distributors from around the country met in St. Louis on Thursday. They heard firsthand about changes being made regarding the Bud Light transgender controversy.

Anheuser-Busch invited the distributors to the downtown Hyatt hotel for a yearly meeting on summer marketing plans. It was the first such meeting since transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s viral social media posts with Bud Light in early April. She received a special edition can with her picture on it. 

Market analysts report Bud Light sales are still down more than 20% for the past month. Bud Light boycotts appear to be driving down sales of fellow Anheuser-Busch brands like Budweiser and Michelob Ultra, which are down but not as sharply. 

[…] They appeared to adopt a “deflect and downplay” strategy, which almost never works. […] An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson confirms the company informed distributors of major changes in marketing structure, issuing the following statement: 

“We regularly bring our wholesaler partners and leadership together to share upcoming brand and business plans. Hosting our May meeting in St. Louis is something we started last year and is an opportunity to bring our partners together in our hometown. 

We have communicated some next steps with our internal teams and wholesaler partners. First, we made it clear that the safety and welfare of our employees and our partners is our top priority. Second, Todd Allen was appointed Vice President of Bud Light reporting directly to Benoit Garbe, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer. Third, we made some adjustments to streamline the structure of our marketing function to reduce layers so that our most senior marketers are more closely connected to every aspect of our brands activities. These steps will help us maintain focus on the things we do best: brewing great beer for all consumers, while always making a positive impact in our communities and on our country.”

Anheuser-Busch and its distributors have also sent letters to bars and other retailers explaining the situation, pointing out that a single marketing official engaged with Mulvaney. (read more)  

As you can tell so far, despite the significant North American impacts to the products, the Diversity Equity and Inclusion outlook of the Anheuser-Busch global company is still strongly entrenched in the branding.  It does not appear the company is going to modify anything as the very vocal Alphabet ideologues have them captive.

As noted by Dustin Smith, a business professor at Webster University who teaches college students how to manage the woke transition in corporate life, “the brewer has been supporting “Pride” events for years with no backlash. Smith predicted its brands would recover and most of its core customers would return.” {link}

Comrades, the global command and control authorities have spoken.  The tranny fluid will continue to be supported until such time as those NASCAR watching, line dancing rednecks capitulate and start drinking it again.   Look for significant ad buys on Twitter soon.

Keep watching.

Cities Declare States of Emergency as Massive Numbers of Illegal Aliens Continue to Swarm the U.S. Southern Border


May 12, 2023 | Sundance 

Several border cities have declared states of emergency as the migrant invasion of the United States escalates.  However, it’s not just border states; many of these illegal aliens are traveling to metropolitan areas leading to New York and Chicago declaring a state of emergency.

[….] “Thursday night marked the end of Title 42, after more than three years of the public health order enabling the rapid expulsion of hundreds of thousands of migrants without a chance at asylum.  Just before the policy ended, a Florida court temporarily blocked border officials from releasing migrants from custody without court dates. Government attorneys have warned such a ruling would lead to dangerous overcrowding at Border Patrol stations not designed for long-term stays.” (Axios)

Most of the corporate media have tried to distract from the more than 10,000 illegal aliens now crossing every day.  Major U.S. media outlets are now ignoring the outcome of Joe Biden’s intentionally collapsed border policies. For several months Ben Bergquam has been covering the illegal alien invasion for Bannon’s War Room. {Direct Rumble LinkWATCH:

‘De Facto Amnesty’: Ben Bergquam Warns of DHS new Southern Border Policy

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DeSantis Quietly Signs New Law Sealing All of His Travel Records From Public, the Law Applies Retroactively


May 12, 2023 | Sundance 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis always makes a big deal about signing all of the Florida laws that stem from new legislation the people behind his administration submit from his office.  However, when he signed the new law that sealed all his travel records [Previously Discussed Here], he did so quietly.

The Ron DeSantis reelection was all a big con job… all of it. Florida was duped, and I have had a lot of people begging me not to point it out and talk about it.  Too bad.  The Truth Has No Agenda here!

The not pretending reason for the exclusive DeSantis new law is to stop anyone from tracing the background of his travel, and the billionaire special interests and donors who funded it, as he launches his 2024 presidential campaign.  As I have been saying since last summer, the DeSantis ’24 campaign was planned years ago – long before anyone else was paying attention.

Ron DeSantis ’24 is 100%, guaranteed to be an absolute construct of the billionaires, multinationals, and hedge fund managers who must stop Donald Trump and the America First platform.  Look backward at the professional Republican outcomes in 2018, 2020 and 2022 to see the background of what this is all about.

FLORIDA – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Thursday that would hide records about his past and future travel, as well as powerful people he meets with, at a time when he’s widely expected to be on the cusp of announcing he’ll run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

DeSantis signed the bill into law unceremoniously on Thursday afternoon, among more than 35 other bills. His office sent an email to the press that listed the bills that were now law.

Under the new law, details about the governor’s trips — whether on state planes or private, chartered flights — will be retracted, including names of staff and family members that travel with DeSantis. Visitor logs to the governor’s mansion and his office also will be hidden.

The retraction will shield information not just from journalists but from DeSantis’s political opponents, who would likely compile droves of research to use against the governor for public scrutiny. Chief among these could be instances in which DeSantis traveled with lobbyists or others who might have been trying to curry favor with him. (read more)

If we stop playing this silly game of pretending, we will accept the billionaire donors who are funding the ‘STOP TRUMP’ operation are likely the same donors who are funding the ‘BOOK TOUR’; who are the same donors who funded the new branding and consulting group in 2022; who are the same donors funding the apparatus of the DeSantis stealth campaign.  More succinctly, his control handlers.

The need for control is a reaction to fear.

The professional Republican apparatus in Florida needs to control what is visible about the construct of Ron DeSantis 2024.  If you ask my opinion, I will tell you from all appearances this fear is connected to a reality that Ron DeSantis ’24 was planned long, long ago.  Likely before the 2020 presidential election year.

As a result of decades of grassroots activist work in the state of Florida, much of it led by the patriotic Tea Party movement, the sunshine state has/had some of the most transparent public information laws in the country.  Florida is/was well known for the ability of citizens and media to keep government officials in check through public records requests.  I have personally used them and will attest to the sunlight process that was always available.

Ever since the people behind Governor Ron DeSantis began conducting a stealth presidential campaign based on fraud, deception, brand imagery and pretense, those same Florida Sunlight Laws are viewed as a risk.   The arc of this DeSantis legacy, including the legislative changes he champions as good for the state, does not end in a good place.

If you follow the process to its natural conclusion, what’s predictable is a voter swing in the other direction. Then Democrats will have a lot of powerful tools they can weaponize against their opposition.  Tools, currently created by DeSantis, will be used by a host of carpetbagging non and new-Floridians who are putting the state on a path for future misery.

Ron DeSantis is the counterfeit $100 bill on a fishing line that was dragged through the MAGAhood by the professional Republican politicians who need to stop the takeover of the party.

More to follow….  Keep watching.

Study: Lobbyists into Government 


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted May 11, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Lobbyists are trained to influence and persuade government officials to act on behalf of their corporation. Lobbying firms often hire men and women with prior government experience to gain access to their connections. A new study entitled “Lobbyists into Government” (Benjamin C. K. Egerod and Joshua McCrain (2023)) examines what occurs when a lobbyist transitions into a role in government.

There are no laws preventing these individuals from entering the government, as both sides of the aisle are drenched in corruption. The study examined US federal bureaucrats and congressional staff records from 2001 to 2020. “We find lobbying firms that gain government connections through the departure of one of their lobbyists experience a 36% revenue increase, or roughly $320,000 per year.” That is a substantial increase and no coincidence.

These individuals, once embedded in government roles, offer their firms premium services and benefit personally. [C]onnections to congressional offices are more valuable than those gained to executive branch agencies,” the study noted.

Open Secrets lists many of these individuals and discusses the “revolving door” of moving back and forth between positions as lobbyists and positions within government. For example, Sen Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) replaced Sen John McCain after his death. Time Magazine named Kyl one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and Sen Mitch McConnel (R-Ky.) said he was “a great persuader.” He even helped Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh join the highest court. Kyl went through the revolving door numerous times and held positions in government followed by positions as a “Senior or Counsel Government Affairs” at corporations that spend millions lobbying their respective causes.

As Open Secrets reports:

“When American voters discard elected officials—and their staffs—lobbying firms and interest groups are quick to snap up the unemployed. Lobbying firms—which often charge steep fees from their deep-pocketed clients—can offer former government employees salaries far greater than those proffered by Uncle Sam, as well as continued influence on Capitol Hill. In return, firms get lobbyists who already have established connections in the federal government and whose résumés can act as a powerful draw for potential clients. The lobbying firms shown here have the greatest track record of hiring former government employees.”

This is clear corruption but it is permitted to take place. The revolving door allows individuals to go back and forth from corporations, sometimes directly working as lobbyists or “senior advisors,” to positions in government. “Dozens of former members of Congress now receive handsome compensation from corporations and special interests as they attempt to influence the very federal government in which they used to serve,” Open Secrets stated. So yes, government is bought and paid for and there are few people left who are actually representing the best interests of We the People.

Epic – Congressman Byron Donalds Drops the Atomic Sledgehammer of Truth on CNN Panel


May 11, 2023 | Sundance 

Congressman Byron Donalds represents Southwest Florida CD-19; he comes from good stock.   After the CNN attack townhall in New Hampshire last night, Donalds appeared on a CNN panel to discuss.

Prior to Donalds joining the panel, the six other panelists were echo-chambering their narrative talking points without rebuttal. Donalds put that nonsense to rest. However, beyond the epic pushback, notice how the panel reacts to having their narrative challenged; this should be very familiar to people.

Notice how when confronted by an opposing viewpoint the panel uses a familiar tactic. Instead of discussing the policy points, the issues at the heart of the policy positions, the panel instead begins to question the person confronting them.  “Do you want Ukraine to win,” is one question. “Do you accept the results of the 2020 election” is another.

The CNN panel approach is to make the person pushing back become the issue, because the points raised are antithetical to their belief system.  This method of distraction is straight from the Alinsky rulebook about debating opposition.  Byron Donalds succeeds because he doesn’t engage the nonsense. WATCH:

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Ron DeSantis Spent $500,000,000.00 For This


Posted originally on the CTH on May 11, 2023 | Sundance 

The SuperPac supporting Ron DeSantis, called Never Back Down, has taken hundreds of millions of dollars from the Wall Street, billionaire, Sea Island, multinational corporation and hedge fund donors.  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is injecting another $85 million from his leadership pac in Florida.  All told, it is the largest single assembly of political cash in the history of presidential campaigning – estimated value well north of $500 million.

With all of that in mind, this is the best the communications team can come up with:

Now, please do not misconstrue what I am saying. I am not saying these people are just bad at their jobs. I am saying these are fundamentally stupid people.

This is the skillset of the professional Republican Party. This is what they are taught to do, study to do, sit around and spend millions in consultancy fees to come up with.

These are professional Republican operations…. They are also just idiots!  This is why some of the billionaire funders have also paused, reevaluated and stepped back from the DeSantis nonsense.  The DeSantis crew are sending out Instagram selfie-pics of their lunches while cheering for their team.

This is like the General Cornwallis version of political warfare.  They sit around in their echo-chambered rooms and might as well put a powdered wig on their candidate.  Everything is fake, pretense, manufactured and sold by the brightest consultants in the world as the stuff that “should work.”   It’s genuinely hilarious!

Meanwhile, MAGA is an insurgency running circles around them, ducking and weaving through their ranks, and they are totally oblivious to it.

This image right here is almost literally who the people behind Ron DeSantis are.  Not all of them, but overwhelmingly the majority of them are just like this disconnected insufferable bunch pictured above.

If that’s who they are, then WHO ARE WE?

We are scruffy, working class patriots engaged in the battle against them!

We are the workforce.

We are digital warriors, meme creators, artists, researchers, autists and ordinarily invisible people now considered dissidents in our own country.

We are the backbone of industry, the people who keep it all working, the builders, diggers and blue-collar workforce that keeps everything functioning. We are the people they will never fully control.  We speak in languages they do not understand, and we absorb targeted ridicule as fuel.

We are the movers of goods, the truckers, the farmers, the nameless people behind the skilled trades that keep what they call American society moving.

We are the people who grow the food, pick the food, transport the food, stock the food, cook the food and facilitate the life they live.  We are a visible, yet disregarded, insurgent force within their sphere of life that is never considered, yet we control the outcomes of every moment they value.

We pick up the trash, answer the phones, run cables to their devices, mow their lawns, solve their problems, control the flow of essential services and keep our heads below the radar.

We are the majority.

We are a self-reliant, freedom loving, normally peaceful and God-fearing assembly.

We drive them to their destination; we are comfortably out of mind until needed, and yet we are irreplaceable for the things they require.

We are armed with hammers, pens, rulers, mice, pickup trucks, laptops, post-it notes, stickers and alternate forms of messaging that circumvent the control mechanisms deployed to create our silence.

We are inside every facility, every institution, every meeting, every moment of their existence – and we notice everything.

We have eyes of eagles and ears of elephants.  We are there when they do not expect, and we melt away before they notice our appearance.

We are smart, strategic, highly intelligent and carry a brutally obvious and pragmatic common sense that finds optimal solutions to everything.

We identify our tribe immediately and without conversation.

We see what they hide, we hear what they whisper, we decipher their codes, and we understand the complexity they create in their effort to conceal.

We control the physical world that operates around every element of society, and we value real and tangible assets.

We do not sit around pontificating eloquently about philosophic nuances; we get shit done.

We are the people who facilitate their ability to take us for granted, and we do so without issue, resentment or desire for recognition.

We are optimistic, affable, kind, generous, friendly, loyal, warm and quietly spiritual in purpose.

We are polite, considerate and slow to anger.

We prefer to be left alone.  However, pushed entirely far enough, decisions are reached.  Right now, we are tenuously staring with deepened gaze.

We are increasingly pissed off…. Big Time!

In every town, village and hamlet we are encountering the same conversation.  On every porch, in every shop, at every event, the topic is the same.

Right now, we are taking this fury to the platforms of visibility where we hope to influence outcomes.  But if that effort fails, and/or if the command-and-control authorities make the mistake of thinking they can shut down our visibility and therefore control the dissent, there will be no quarter provided in the aftermath.

The two biggest mistakes they can make right now is not understanding why we have begun to bow our heads.

First, our heads are not bowed because we are subservient, cowering or accepting the current effort to control us….

….We are praying!

Their second mistake would be to ignore that we are not praying for us

….We are praying for those who trespass against us!

They may not like what follows, “Amen!

We are resolute and of common purpose.

We are MAGA!

South Shore Chicago Residents Blast City Council During Public Hearing Over Housing Illegal Alien Migrants


Posted Originally on the CTH on May 11, 2023 | Sundance 

The national media hide these types of local stories because they destroy the preferred narrative.  However, the open border leftist policies are opposed by every cross-cultural faction of ordinary Americans, including the predominantly black community of South Shore Chicago.  Keep in mind the DNC convention for 2024 will be held in Chicago.

Watch the response from local residents as the City Council attempts to hold a meeting to inform the public of their decision to place 250 to 500 illegal aliens in housing at South Shore High School.  There are hundreds of illegal aliens currently camped out in police stations around the community and the residents of the area are sick of it.

This video shows the issue of illegal immigration cuts across all political boundaries.  The officials in charge are disconnected from the will of the people.  This conflict is going to escalate across the country as millions of illegal aliens are now pouring through the southern border soon to occupy the land space in all major metropolitan areas.  WATCH:

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The Rental Crisis


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate Re-Posted May 11, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

I reported how BlackRock is now the largest landlord in the US. Institutions have purchased hundreds of billions in real estate across the nation and have no plans to sell because rentals are a lucrative venture. Inventory is at a historic low and people simply cannot find a place to live if they need to relocate. Rental price gouging has reached astronomical levels and demand far outweighs supply.

There are eight prospective renters for each available apartment in the US, and the average occupancy rate is 94.2%. Of those occupied leases, 60.7% chose to renew. New housing grew by a measly 0.43% as building costs have increased substantially. The high-density state of New Jersey has become the most competitive real estate market in the US. This is particularly true for the northern part of the state, which is no surprise as the average cost for rent in NYC is $5,186 monthly. That price tag makes places like Los Angeles look cheap, with an average rental price of $2,600. Miami, the new Wall Street of the south, has become the second most competitive market in the US. Apartments in Miami-Dade County last an average of 33 days on the market if a unit even becomes available.

Housing is completely unaffordable and people with good-paying jobs are struggling to find a place to live if they do not already own. Purchasing property was once the smart financial choice, but that is out of reach for the average person. In fact, over three million Americans earning over $150,000 annually still choose to rent as there is simply no alternative at this time.

Rentals across America are almost at total capacity. The typical person locks in a 12-month lease, but the landlord (in most states) can raise the price at the end of that term and there are little protections for residents. In fairness to the landlords, their costs have increased substantially as well in terms of taxes, insurance, and maintenance. The price of a renewal increase is typically lower than what it would cost to relocate, aiding in the decision for the majority to renew their leases.

Where I live, we also face seasonal rental price gauging. Off-season one-bedrooms in the Tampa Bay area are over $2,000 monthly and rising. But once the “snow birds” return during the winter months, prices increase substantially. There is a 13% tax here on short-term rentals as well, but finding a full 12-month lease is increasingly difficult.

Adding to this crisis is the mass influx of migrants as cities across the nation develop ways to house tens of thousands of people at the expense of taxpaying citizens. Landlords typically require renters to earn 3X the monthly rental price as well, forcing many to leave the cities and more desirable areas even if they earn a good living.

Shelter costs are unsustainably high for both buyers and renters. People cannot find a place to live. Those who rent often become stuck in a cycle of renting perpetually, unable to save as all their income goes toward shelter.

Rubio on the Collapse of American Society


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted May 11, 2023 by Martin Armstrong